TAN DE BRIDGE, VIETNAM

The Tan De Bridge crossing forms part of the 165 km long project to upgrade the National Highway Number 10 in northeastern Vietnam. It crosses the Red (Hong) river, providing a connection between Nam Dinh and Thai Binh. The soil conditions at the bridge site consist of alternating layers of sand and silt clay. Bored cast in situ piles were used for all the foundations. The bridge was designed to the requirements of the American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials Standard Specification 16th Edition with suitable modifications for local conditions. A five-span viaduct on the Thai Binh side and a nine-span viaduct on the Nam Dinh side form the approaches. The spans are formed of pre-cast concrete open super-tee beams. The main river crossing is a five span continuous bridge. The deck consists of a single cell concrete box girder. The bridge deck was constructed in situ using the cantilever method. The bridge was opened in February 2002. Details are given of the owner, designer, contractor, costs and service date.